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Anya Kamenetz

Why young voters aren’t feeling Obama-mania this time

Over the past four years, the president and his young supporters have been buffeted by the Great Recession and by endless stalemates with Republicans in Congress. And of course, an incumbent is inherently less exciting than an underdog candidate promising hope and change. But I think the bigger reason for the dampened enthusiasm is that, in his four years in office, Obama has missed the chance to empower young people — and some of his policies have ended up infantilizing them instead.

Obama now seems less like the cool friend he was to young voters in 2008 and more like the worn-out father whose roof they’re still sleeping under. Among 18-to-24-year-olds, 53 percent have moved back in with Mom and Dad, at least temporarily, in the past few years. Half of college graduates are unemployed or underemployed — and the unemployment rate for those 24 and younger is more than 17 percent. Two-thirds of college grads take home an average of $26,600 in student loan debt, and almost 1 in 10 borrowers default on those loans within two years. …

Rather than increasing young people’s dependency on the government, their families and private lenders to pay for college, it would be better to find ways to directly reduce higher-education costs. The Obama administration has made some effort to this end but could do far more. Over four years, starting in 2011, the Labor and Education departments are awarding $2 billion to community colleges to implement open-licensed digital materials and shared courses, among other innovations that could drive down the cost of higher education while updating how it’s delivered.

Blowback

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They’re stockpiling dungballs and leaving them in designated spots for easy access so they can hurl them at anyone after Obama loses.
They are also sharpening sticks and working on their angry grunts and hollers.

I think OWS was just another Obama miscalculation. The average OWS participant was a mentally challenged fool who hated Obama as well for not going full-bore communist. They are staying home this election.

Rather than increasing young people’s dependency on the government, their families and private lenders to pay for college, it would be better to find ways to directly reduce higher-education costs.

And alienate one of the Democratic Party’s stauchest supporters?

Never.

But I say, have at it. Start by eliminating the diversity department of every college. Then, start requiring professors to teach. And eliminate all non-essential employees.

Now. This skyrocketing increase of a college education over the past three decades is riduculous.

Return student loans to the private sector. Allow lenders to factor in the course of study borrowers plan to pursue. No taxpayer guarantees; let parents co-sign–let’s see whether the really believe in the kid whom they’ve raised.

Or take the cost of college. Over the past few years, Obama fought with Congress several times to protect need-based Pell grants — a worthy end. But college tuition kept rising, on average, more than 5 percent each year at public universities, and overall student indebtedness has grown at about the same rate.

My goodness, you don’t say. It’s almost like there are competing “goods” to choose from, and picking one negatively affects the other! You signed up for the have cake and eat it platform, I guess, huh?

It’s funny how every writer trying to understand Barry’s problems seems to forget that Barry and the Democrats controled EVERYTHING in government for most of the first two years of his Presidency, including being blessed with the rarity of filibuster-proof Senate. Nope. Nothing is his fault or the fault of his party. It’s all Republicans standing in his way, even when they don’t have the power to stop him and his fellow Dems from doing as they wish.